


Vile Visage

by AXEe



Series: Forks in the Road [1]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Chloe Already Knows Clark's secret, Established Relationship, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-07 00:29:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15206834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: A CHLARK take/fix-it of Season Two's "Visage"





	1. Secrets, Lies, and Dating Advice

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! My second CHLARK fic :=). This one came about mostly because I was pissed at how the writers 'solved' the problem with Whitney's return at the end of Season Two. While having Tina Greer masquerade as him as an interesting plot twist, I hated how they just explained what really happened to Whitney as 'oh yeah they found his remains' ?!?!!? I thought that was just horribly disrespectful to both the character, the fans, and any viewers who served in the military.
> 
> Anyway, I could go on, but here's my CHLARK-y solution. So, in this AU, Chloe and Clark tried dating again after the Spring Formal, and Chloe was the one who found Clark's ship, not Pete.
> 
> Now then, please enjoy :=)

******

“Twenty-four hour plumbing is a joke” Lana spat as she glowered at the steadily dripping pipe under the Talon’s sink, part of her hoping that just by glaring at it, it might stop. Of course no such thing happened, and, mentally sighing, she looked over at Chloe, who looked over at Clark, nudging him impatiently

“You know,” Clark began “maybe, if we just…” he reached out and began gently twisting the joint on the pipe

“Uh, wrong way, Clark” Chloe interrupted as the water started flowing stronger

“Right. Oops,” Clark chuckled as he began turning the joint the other way. And for a split second it looked like it might actually be working, but then the pipe rattled ominously and all three let out a simultaneous surprised yelp as water suddenly drenched them “ah! The threads are history!” Clark yelped as he swiped at his eyes “I need a wrench!”

“Got it!” Lana called out as she sprinted to the back. Now alone, Chloe patted Clark on the shoulder, nodding. Edging back, she watched as Clark aimed a short blast of heat vision at the piped, welding the burst joint shut

“Hmm, who needs a plumber when we have you?” Chloe chuckled, giving him a pat on the shoulder and a quick peek on the cheek as Lana hurried back into the room, a towel and a wrench in her hands. She slid to a stop and frowned at the sight as the now-non-dripping pipe

“How’d you do that?” she asked

Chloe and Clark and glanced at each other, some kind of silent communication that Lana wasn’t privy to passing between them before Clark answered

“I, uh, just kept twisting and turning, and uh stopped it” he explained with a shrug. Lana frowned, she hated at how the both of them lied to her. Ever since they’d started dating, she was pretty sure that Chloe was now ‘in’ on whatever Clark’s secret was, and while she didn’t particularly mind that—they were dating after all—she just wished that they would stop lying and acting like she was some kind of idiot who needed to be given a pat on the head and be told how good and well-behaved she’d been.

Shaking herself, she smirked at them

“You know, one of these days, I’m going to figure out what’s going on with you two,” she kept her tone light, joking, but tried to drop the hint; if they didn’t want to tell her, that was fine, but she really wished that they’d respect her enough to stop lying to her. Hefting the wrench in her hands, she gestured vaguely to the back room “I should, uh, probably go put this back” she muttered as she made her way into the back, absently tossing the wrench into a drawer as she handed Chloe another towel.

The blonde frowned as she reached into the still-open drawer and pulled out a photo of Whitney

“Hey, have you heard anything?” she asked, holding up the photo

Lana shook her head

“No. His last letter mentioned some sort of top-secret, hush-hush mission” she explained

“Yeah, but that was over a month ago, wasn’t it?” Clark interrupted

Lana shrugged wordlessly as she studied the photo in Chloe’s hands. Chloe smiled and gave her hand a comforting squeeze

“Hey, come on,” she encouraged “Whitney’s tough. He’ll make it” she swore.

Lana smiled weakly, but looked dubious…

******

“Hey,” Chloe nudged Clark “you missed my house two stops ago. Now, I know that Lana’s going to crash at the Talon tonight, but that’s no excuse to leave me in the lurch. You OK?”

Clark blinked, coming back to reality

“Sorry,” he apologized, putting the truck into reverse “just thinking”

“About?” Chloe wondered

“Whitney,” Clark shrugged “I mean…his skin’s not bulletproof, his bones aren’t unbreakable. But…he’s willing to put himself in harm’s way to protect this country,” he shrugged “I just wonder, if I didn’t have my abilities, would I be that brave?”

“Definitely,” Chloe answered immediately “I keep telling you, Clark; if more humans were like you the world would be a much better place” she vowed, which earned a blush from Clark as he pulled the truck to a stop outside her house

“Looks like your Dad’s still up” he noted, nodding towards the lights in the windows

“Yeah, he doesn’t trust you” Chloe smirked as she unbuckled her seatbelt

“Hey, I’m trustworthy” Clark objected

“Oh I know,” Chloe grinned “and so does Dad. What he _doesn’t_ trust is your gender”

Clark blinked, confused

“My gen—oh. Ohh!” his eyes widened almost comically as he blushed

“Now you’re getting it,” Chloe chuckled as she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss “see you tomorrow” she whispered as she—reluctantly—pulled back

“Uh-huh,” Clark mumbled with a dim nod “hey, Chloe,” he called out. She turned “uh, listen, there’s a winter festival in Grandville on Saturday,” he began “My Mom’s going to have a stand for her produce, and I was wondering, if, uh…er,” he trailed off into a stammering, blushing stupor “ifyou’dliketogowithme?” he finished in a rush, blushing even brighter (if that was possible)

Chloe grinned as she leaned into the truck’s window

“Sounds fun” she chuckled

“Cool,” Clark nodded “so, uh, eight?”

“Eight it is” Chloe nodded as she turned and, giving him a wave, walked up the steps and inside the house. Turning back to the wheel, Clark took a nervous breath. Every time, every time he asked Chloe to lunch or some kind of event as a couple he always got tongue-tied. Which made no sense since they’d been dating for nearly a year now.

Oh well, Chloe didn’t seem to mind, in fact she seemed to find it endearing even, so why complain?

******

“You’re home late” Martha noted as Clark walked inside

“Sorry, Mom,” he blushed “Lana had a problem at the Talon, so Chloe and I had to stop by on our way home” he explained

“You’ve been seeing a lot of Chloe lately, haven’t you?” Martha noted

“Uh, yeah, we’re dating,” Clark pointed out “plus, we see each other all the time at school. Why, what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing,” Martha dismissed “it just, sometimes its good for couples to spend a little time apart, even if its only for a few hours,” she explained. She regretted her words instantly at the near-panicked look on Clark’s face “sweetie,” she sighed “you just said that you and Chloe see each other every day at school, and now you’re seeing her every day after school too. Maybe…you should just spend a few hours apart you know? Maybe see her in the evenings instead of right after school”

Clark frowned

“Maybe,” he shrugged “I guess that means that I shouldn’t have invited her to the winter festival on Saturday?”

“No, no, I didn’t say that,” Martha shook her head “but, maybe between now and then, sort of….ease off a bit” she suggested, mentally sighing at the utterly confused expression on her son’s face. Clearly Clark couldn’t comprehend such a scenario, so why bother trying to explain it…


	2. Returning Heroes and Loveksick Reporters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter TWO! Please enjoy and let me know what you thought :=)

******

“I know that look”

Jonathan Kent turned to his wife and smirked, nodding out the window where Clark and Chloe were sitting on the porch chatting eagerly, they seemed to be both finishing up last night’s homework as well as just chatting, Chloe apparently taking umbrage over the revelation that Alexander Gram Bell may have actually stolen the patent for the telephone from Ezra Gray

“You know, if you told me a year ago that Chloe would learn Clark’s secret I would have found a way to keep them apart” Jonathan remarked

“And now?” Martha wondered

“Now?” Jonathan shrugged “I don’t know,” he admitted “there’s still some part of me that worries that she’ll eventually decide to write an article about him, expose him to the entire world”

“Chloe would never do that,” Martha shook her head “she cares for Clark and would never hurt him,” she explained “I daresay she even loves him”

“She’s a teenage girl, Martha,” Jonathan reminded her “when you’re a teenage girl every time a boy smiles at you you’re in love”

“Is that meant to be a comment about me?” Martha teased

Jonathan chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close

“I will tell you this though,” he nodded “Chloe is right about one thing; Clark is meant for more than just spending the rest of his life here in Smallville”

“We can only hope” Martha nodded…

******

“C’mon,” Clark shut the history book and stood up, grabbing his backpack as he did “we’re going to be late”

“Are we driving or are we taking the Clark Kent Express?” Chloe teased

Clark smirked as he scooped her up bridal-style

“You know, I think you’ve got a problem” he teased

“Nah,” Chloe grinned “it’s just more efficient this way”

“Oh of course, no other reason” Clark teased, leaning in to give her a quick peck on the nose. As he pulled away, she reached up and waved, turning Clark waved as well to Martha and Jonathan, who waved back. Then, in a burst of speed, they were gone…

******

“Chloe, hey,” Clark waved as he caught up with her in the hall “hey, we still on for Saturday?” he asked

“Unless the world ends tomorrow,” Chloe replied with a grin “hey,” she began “this is going to sound strange, but…do you think we should invite Lana?”

“What do you mean?” Clark asked confused

“Well, I mean, she’s been working herself to the bone over at the Talon,” Chloe explained “I was just thinking that she needs a night out on the town to cheer her up”

“Yeah, but on our date?” Clark wondered

Chloe shrugged. Clark reached out, gently pulling her to a stop

“Chloe, is everything OK?” he asked “I mean…are _we_ OK?”

Chloe groaned and ran a hand through her hair in frustration

“I just…,” she sighed “I’m scared OK?” she confessed

“Scared? You?” Clark teased. He frowned when the joke fell flat “Chloe, what are you scared of?” he asked quietly

Looking around, Chloe quickly grabbed his arm and led into a small alcove by a water fountain

“Look, ever since Whitney dropped off the radar, Lana’s been…well, depressed,” she explained “and I guess I’m just scared that…that…” she trailed

“…that this is a perfect opportunity for me to finally have the girl of my dreams because she’s on the rebound,” Clark finished. He shook his head “Chloe, how could you think that about me?” he demanded, looking hurt

“I know, I know, I’m a terrible person,” Chloe groaned “but…,” she gestured down the hall towards where Lana was standing by her locker “you’ve had a crush on her for years” she pointed out

“Yeah, I did,” Clark nodded as he pulled her close “but you’re the one I trusted enough to tell my secret to,” he pointed out. He shook his head “I never trusted Lana enough to do that, and I don’t think I ever will,” he admitted

“You really mean that?” Chloe asked hesitantly

“I really do” Clark nodded

Breathing a quick sigh of relief, Chloe leaned in and gave him a quick peek on the lips

“Ahem,”

Breaking apart, they both blushed as Lana came over, smiling

“You two usually aren’t the types to be caught doing a PDA” she noted

“Eh, we’re just happy,” Chloe dismissed “we’ve got a date this Saturday” she explained

Lana’s face fell ever so slightly

“That’s great,” she nodded with a tight smile “glad to hear it”

“Yeah, it’s at the winter festival in Grandville,” Clark explained “you should come by” he offered, as he noticed Lana’s expression

“No thanks, I have to put in an extra shift at the Talon” Lana shook her head as the three began walking down the hall

“Lana, come on,” Chloe encouraged “it’ll be fun. Look, I know that you’re worried about Whitney, but working yourself to the bone isn’t going to bring him back any sooner,” she paused as Lana frowned, clearly considering accepting “look, you don’t even have to join us,” Chloe tried “just…stop by. Mrs. Kent’s got a stand this year for her produce. Stop by, eat some fruit, play some games”

“Yeah, maybe” Lana nodded with another tight smile before she quickly slipped into the crowd, disappearing

“Well, we tried” Chloe sighed…

******

Jonathan poked his head around the corner of the loft

“Clark?” he asked as he rounded the stairs “oh, it’s you” he commented as Chloe looked up, absently catching the ball she’d been throwing

“Sorry” she apologized

“It’s fine,” Jonathan dismissed as he found the work gloves that Clark had borrowed and forgot to put back “something on your mind?” he asked as he moved back down to the barn floor, Chloe absently following with a sigh

“Mr. Kent, do you think I’m a bad person?” she asked

Jonathan frowned, turning to study her

“Well no,” he answered “why?”

“Because I’m worried about…Clark and Lana,” Chloe admitted “ever since Whitney’s disappeared I just…” she trailed off

“…you’re scared that now she’s on the rebound” Jonathan nodded

“Yeah”

“Well, I’d like to think that Martha and I raised Clark to be a good person and to be faithful,” he began “but,” he set down the work gloves and gestured for Chloe to sit down on a bale of hay, joining her “I think this has less to do with Clark or with Lana and more to do with you”

Chloe sighed, smirking humorlessly

“Little hard to compete with the raven-haired former captain of the cheerleading squad”

“Maybe,” Jonathan nodded “but remember, Clark trusted you enough to let you in on his secret”

“Only because I found his ship” Chloe dismissed

“Actually,” Jonathan began “but he’d talking about telling you for weeks before you found the ship”

Chloe looked up at him, surprised

“Really?” she asked

Jonathan nodded

“Really,” he confirmed “look, Chloe, you and Clark are as thick as thieves. You always have been, ever since he brought you home back in eighth grade”

Chloe smirked, giggling slightly

“Did you know that I kissed him back then?”

“No,” Jonathan chuckled “did you really?”

“Yeah,” Chloe nodded up at the loft “it was up there. I told him that I’d known he’d been thinking about it all day and I wanted to get it out of the way so we could just be friends,” the humorless smirk returned “look how well _that_ turned out”

“Can’t control who you fall for, Chloe,” Jonathan told her “besides,” he smirked and looked around before leaning in as if to tell her a secret “to tell you the truth, but…I always thought that you and Clark were a better match”

“Really?” Chloe’s eyebrows rose

“Really,” Jonathan nodded. He smirked and put a finger to his lips “don’t tell Maratha, she’ll be very pleased”

Chloe laughed

“Thanks, Mr. Kent,” she said “really, that’s a load off”

“No problem,” Jonathan assured her as he went back to the workbench and put the safety goggles on “and call me ‘Jonathan’.”

“Wha—really?” Chloe asked

“Sure,” Jonathan nodded. He turned back and smirked at her “you’ve earned it”

“OK…Jonathan” Chloe chuckled…

******

“A little higher”

Clark grunted as he tried to keep steady on the Talon’s rather rickety stepladder while he struggled to reach where Lana indicated

“There?” he asked as he tried to pin the banner up

“That’s good,” Lana called out “oh, no, wait, it’s slipping on the bottom. A little to the left, actually”

Clark groaned and repositioned the banner

“There?”

“Perfect”

“Putting my boyfriend to work?” Chloe asked as she walked inside and assessed the banner “move nights, huh?” she asked as she read it

“Yeah,” Clark nodded as he climbed down the stepladder “Lana found a bunch of old film canisters in the projection room”

“I figured that I could show them every once in a while,” Lana explained “sort of remind people of what the Talon used to be”

“Sounds nice,” Chloe commented “you got a couples’ discount?” she teased

“Hope so” a familiar voice called out.

All three froze, slowly turning around to face the front of the shop, the three of them gapping as Whitney Fordman, dressed in full Marine dress, walked into the room. Taking off his peaked cap, he smiled somewhat sheepishly as the tray of mugs in Lana’s hands suddenly hit the floor with a crash as the room fell silent, every single patron slowly turning to stare at Whitney before slowly standing up one-by-one.

Slowly, someone started clapping, which started the others, and soon the entire room was applauding vigorously as Whitney took a slow step forward, which seemed to snap Lana out of her stupor, and suddenly animated, she surged forward and threw herself into his arms.

Looking up at Clark as she applauded, Chloe had to smile, feeling immensely relieved and then feeling like scum as she realized why she felt relieved…


	3. Fearful Reporter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter THREE! Enjoy everyone! :=)

******

“Mrs. Fordman must be so relieved” Martha sighed

“Yeah” Jonathan agreed distractedly as he finished up brushing his teeth

“Something on your mind?” Martha wondered as he climbed into bed next to her

Jonathan sighed

“Chloe came by this afternoon,” he began “I think she’s afraid that Clark’s only dating her as a…consolation prize for Lana” he explained, the distaste clear in his voice

“Well that certainly explains why she seemed so relieved that Whitney’s back,” Martha commented “she probably thinks that Lana and Whitney will start dating again”

Jonathan nodded

“I don’t know why she would think that,” he remarked “but, I guess it makes sense, Clark’s always had his eye on Lana, and now…,” he trailed off with a tried sigh “I don’t know, maybe I’m just reading too much into it. It’s not any of my business anyway”

“I think it is our business,” Martha countered, putting down her book “Jonathan, we can’t let Chloe go through the rest of her life thinking that. What if she and Clark get married? Or have children? Do you really want your future daughter-in-law going through life thinking that she’s only a consolation prize to her husband?”

“Jumping the gun a bit aren’t you?” Jonathan commented, which earned him a playful swat on the arm “all right, all right. You’re right, you’re right. So…what do we do about it?”

“Well,” Martha sighed “first things we first we need to talk to Clark about this” she declared

“Yeah, but how do we do that?” Jonathan wondered “we can’t just come out and say it”

“We might just have to” Martha sighed…

******

Chloe looked up at the knock on the door

“Whitney, hi,” she greeted as the Marine stood in the doorway to the Torch “uh, come on in” she invited

“Thanks,” Whitney smiled as he walked in and looked around “you know, I’ve never been here before”

“Yeah, usually the jocks avoid this place like the plague” Chloe commented, which earned a smirk from Whitney

“They’re probably afraid of you” he remarked, which caused her to smirk

“So, what brings you by?” she asked

“Well,” he began “I don’t know if you heard, but, uh, I got injured when my unit was ambushed”

“Yeah,” Chloe nodded “Lana told me, you got some memory loss didn’t you?”

Whitney nodded

“Yeah, the doctor’s say that I lost about six months worth, maybe more,” he explained “anyway, I was wondering if you might be willing to loan me a couple of back issues of the _Torch_? Kind of catch up on what I missed? Might jog something loose”

“No, yeah, sure,” Chloe was already up and rooting around in the filing cabinet “six months you said?” Whitney nodded “here,” she held out a large stack of file folders “let’s just round it out to an even twelve months”

“Sounds good,” Whitney nodded “oh, hey, Lana’s planning a big welcome home party for me at the Talon tomorrow. Are you and Clark coming?”

“We’ll be there” Chloe promised.

Whitney gave her another smile as he turned to leave, nearly bumping into Jonathan Kent

“Whitney, good to have you back” Jonathan greeted warmly

“Thanks,” Whitney replied, awkwardly shaking his hand as best he could with the large stack of files in his arms “it’s good to be back,” he remarked “bye Chloe”

“Bye,” Chloe waved as Jonathan stepped inside the room “Mr. Kent—er, Jonathan,” she greeted “what brings you by?”

“Thought I’d drop by,” Jonathan shrugged as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, idly rocking back on his heels “so, this is the world-famous Torch, huh?” he remarked

Chloe smirked

“As much as I appreciate the compliment,” she began “I can tell that you want something”

Jonathan chuckled as he pulled a chair over and sat down next to her

“What gave me away?” he wondered

“The whole hands-in-your-pockets thing,” Chloe answered “Clark does the same thing when he wants to ask something but doesn’t know how to say it,” she explained “I guess some things are just learned” she remarked

“Guess so,” Jonathan nodded “listen, I was thinking about our talk yesterday afternoon…” he trailed off as she sighed

“I’m happy Whitney’s back, I am,” she nodded “just…not for the reasons everyone else is,” she smirked bitterly “guess that means I’m a real shallow bitch, doesn’t it?”

“No, it just means that you’re human,” Jonathan reminded her “look,” he began “I’m not your father, but, maybe you should talk to Clark about this?” he suggested

“I can’t do that” Chloe shook her head

“Why not?” Jonathan probed. He watched as she bit her lip, looking away sadly

“ _Because what if I’m right?_ ” she whispered…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is turning out a lot more angst-ridden than I was planning. Yikes. Oh well, don't worry, more CHLARK scenes coming up. As for the Jonathan-Chloe interactions, I just thought that they deserved some screen time together :=)


	4. Clearing the Air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Chapter FOUR! :=), also I'm flipping the order of some scenes around, it just makes more sense to me with the way the plot's progressing, but don't worry it won't take away from the plot. Now then, enjoy :=)

******

Later that night, Chloe rounded the stairs of the hayloft

“Clark?” she called out “hey, what’s up? I got your mess…age,” she trailed off as she finally reached the loft, staring at the candles that had been set up. A small table had been set up in the middle of the space, next to the old couch, with two chairs while what looked like some of Martha Kent’s delicious pot roast had been set up on the table.

Standing by the table, dressed in his best shirt and slacks, stood a shy Clark, who looked at Chloe expectantly

“Wow,” Chloe remarked once she found her voice again “not that I’m complaining, but, uh, what’s the occasion?”

“Does there need to be one?” Clark countered as he held up a bottle of root beer, giving it a little enticing shake

“Usually, yes,” Chloe began “but I’ll wave that in favor of your mom’s pot roast,” she added as she sat down at the table, eyeing it worriedly as it wobbled slightly “seriously, Clark, is something going on?” she asked “you’ve been acting weird, even for you all day. Did it have something to do with your Dad dropping by the Torch today?”

“Sorta,” Clark sighed as he sat down “look, I was talking with my Dad, and he says that you’ve been….worried about…us”

Chloe sighed

“Look, he’s only trying to help” Clark pleaded

“I know, I know,” Chloe sighed she stood up and paced “its just…,” she raked a hand through her already spiky hair “OK, look, I’m going ask you something and I want a straight forward, yes or no answer. Got it?”

“OK” Clark nodded, looking confused as Chloe took a nervous breath

“Are you only dating me because you can’t date Lana?” she finally asked quietly

For a second Clark stared at her, blinking

“What?” he finally asked

“No,” Chloe shook her head “just forget it” she turned to leave, but stopped as Clark gently caught her wrist, gently tugging her around to face him. Taking her by the shoulders, he looked her straight in the eye

“I’m dating you,” he began “because I have feelings for _you_ ”

“What about Lana?” Chloe probed

“Lana,” Clark sighed “Lana’s…a good friend,” he began “look, I think I kind of built this…fantasy in my head about Lana, you know? The perfect dream girl. So, when I finally met her, I realized that she was a real person, with real feelings and real problems, and…the fantasy just…gradually faded away” he explained

“So…how do you feel about her now?” Chloe asked hesitantly

“She’s a friend, that’s it,” Clark explained, he gently pulled Chloe close “you’re the only girl I want to be with,” he whispered into the crown of her head as she sighed and sagged against him tiredly, sniffling

“This has really been bugging you, hasn’t it?” Clark guessed

“Yeah,” Chloe sniffled into his shirt “like I told your Dad; it’s a little hard to compete with the ex-cheerleader”

“That’s fine,” Clark chuckled “I think I’ve developed a thing for plucky reporters anyway”

“Plucky, huh?” Chloe asked as she looked up at him

“You don’t like plucky?” Clark frowned “hmm, about…crazy….irritating….foolhardy….stubborn….obsessed…” he stopped when she hit him in the arm

“Watch it, Kent, I know your weakness, remember?” she teased

“You’d never use the meteor rocks on me” Clark teased

“I did that time with the red rocks in the class rings” Chloe reminded him

Clark shuddered

“Don’t remind me,” he muttered. He smiled at her “you want to try for a romantic dinner again?”

Chloe beamed at him

“You really have to ask?” she teased…

******

Meanwhile, at that moment, Whitney was closing the front door to his mother’s house

“Whitney? You have a visitor” Mrs. Fordman called out. Rounding the corner, Whitney frowned, feeling himself snap to attention

“Lieutenant” he greeted

“Mr. Fordman,” the Lieutenant nodded politely “you’re doing well, I take it?” he asked

“Yes, sir,” Whitney answered “what brings you by?”

“There’s a been a problem with the paperwork for your medical benefits,” the Lieutenant explained “nothing serious, I just need your signature on a few things,” he glanced at Mrs. Fordman “is there somewhere we can speak in private?”

“Of course,” she pointed towards the den “right through there”

“Thank you,” the Lieutenant nodded towards Whitney “after you” he invited as Whitney when ahead of him, the door shutting behind both men. Mrs. Fordman had turned back to her book when a loud crash suddenly broke the air

“Whitney?” frowning, she got up, cautiously knocking on the door to the den “Whitney?” pushing the door open, she had just enough time to scream in terror at what she saw before a hand suddenly clapped over her mouth and she forcibly dragged back out of the room…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun-dun! Cliffhanger! :=)


	5. Rage Syndrome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter FIVE! Enjoy! :=)

******

The Talon was packed, it seemed like the whole of Smallville had come to celebrate Whitney’s homecoming, and already Clark could see at least three people who were close friends of his parents

Pushing past the crowd with Chloe at his side, they made their way over to where Lana and Whitney were standing by the counter

“Chloe!” Lana waved as the two finally reached the counter

“We are here,” Chloe proclaimed “fashionably late, but here”

“I told you that shortcut was stupid” Clark reminded her as he shook Lana’s hand, grimacing at the sudden wave of nausea that overcame him

“Clark, you OK?” Whitney asked as Clark eyed Lana’s necklace—probably given back to her by Whitney—and took a slight step back, bumping into Chloe who steadied him

“Yeah,” he swallowed as the nausea receded “yeah, I’m good,” he muttered as he shook Whitney’s hand “good to have you back”

“Good to be back” Whitney grinned

“So, Whitney,” Chloe began “if you’re up for it, I’d love to get an exclusive interview for you for the Torch”

“Actually, I don’t remember much,” Whitney explained “and what I do remember…I’d rather not” he explained

“OK,” Chloe, looking somewhat chastised, nodded “forget I asked” she apologized as a group of jocks suddenly ambushed Whitney, and laughing, hustled him off

“So, Lana, about Saturday” Clark began

“What’s going on Saturday?” Whitney asked as he reappeared, having clearly broken free from the troop of apes—jocks—and made his escape

“Oh, its nothing” Lana dismissed evenly. Whitney looked between her and Clark, his eyes narrowing

“So,” he began “I’m guessing that you and Clark saw a lot of each other over the summer?” he asked pointedly

“Clark and I are just friends” Lana explained quickly. Too quickly it seemed, as Whitney smirked humorlessly

“I’m going to go get some punch” he announced as he quickly left the group

“Well _that_ was awkward” Chloe commented as Clark turned to Lana

“What was that all about?” he asked

Lana sighed as Clark and Chloe looked between each other, the penny dropping

“I’m going to go out on a limb here,” Chloe began “but, I’m guessing that Whitney _doesn’t_ remember your award-winning Dear John video?”

“Lana, you have to tell him,” Clark urged “even if it hurts him, he deserves the truth”

“He needs me,” Lana sighed “now more than ever”

“But that’s still no excuse for leading the poor guy on,” Chloe reminded her “Clark’s right, you have to come clean”

“I will, I will,” Lana sighed “you know, the one good thing about Whitney is what you see is what you get, no secrets, no mysteries…” 

******

At that moment, Whitney angrily splashed a handful of water on his face as he glared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror

“How could I have been so _stupid_?!?!” he snarled as he angrily spun around and, gripping the stall door in both hands, easily tore it off its hinges and hurled it across the room just as the door opened and Clark entered just time to see the door hit the floor in a mangled heap

“Whitney, what’s going on?” seemed to be the logical question to ask

“You tell me,” Whitney hissed “what’s going on between you and Lana?” he demanded

“Nothing’s going on,” Clark shook his head “I kept my promise, I looked after her, that’s it. Besides, I’m dating Chloe now”

“Oh yeah,” Whitney sneered “you’re a real class act, Kent, you stab me in the back with my girl and two-time your own?”

“What?” Clark demanded, feeling the world tilt on its axis, where exactly had this gone all wrong he wondered as Whitney angrily stormed past him “how’d you do that to the door?” Clark wondered, nodding towards the mangled door

Whitney paused

“I’m a trained U.S. Marine, Clark,” he answered “I can do a lot of things,” he leveled Clark with a glare “now stay away from Lana” he ordered before stalking out. Leaving a horribly confused Clark in his wake…

******

“Wow, trashing the bathroom, now that’s a new one” Chloe remarked as she happily accepted a plate from Martha. Since she and Clark had started dating she’d been invited to stay for dinner more frequently by Martha and now felt somewhat obligated to attend

“I wonder what brought that on” Martha remarked as she sat down herself. Jonathan was still out mending the tractor and could serve himself when he finally came in

“I don’t know,” Clark answered “it was weird, he even warned me to stay away from Lana”

“Jealous rage maybe?” Chloe suggested “I mean, he does have amnesia, maybe he doesn’t quite remember that you two patch things up”

“Maybe,” Clark shrugged “well, you saw him yesterday, Chloe, how did he seem then?”

Chloe shrugged

“Normal. For Smallville that is,” she answered hesitantly “but, to be perfectly honest, I don’t really know him all that well” she shrugged as Jonathan came in with a tried sigh

“Hello,” he groaned as he leaned against the door with a sigh “the tractor’s going to pot,” he declared as he tiredly pushed himself off the wall and made himself a plate before sitting down “hello, Chloe” he greeted absently

“Hey” Chloe waved

“Dad, we can’t afford a new tractor” Clark reminded his father

“Well, we can’t keep the one we have now,” Jonathan sighed “a farm needs a tractor, Son” he reminded Clark

“I could do some research,” Chloe offered “try to find some discounts” she shrugged

“Oh, Chloe, we couldn’t ask you to do that” Martha shook her head

“It’s no trouble,” Chloe dismissed “I insist”

“Better to just give in, Dad,” Clark chuckled “she’ll just go ahead and do it anyway regardless” he explained

“Well,” Jonathan chuckled “when you put it that way, I guess I’ll have to accept…”

******

“Chloe?” Jonathan poked his head around the corner

“Oh, I was just leaving.” Chloe smiled as she finished gathering her things “Clark’s going to drive me home”

“I can do that for you” Jonathan offered

“Dad, that’s all right” Clark tried

“No, no, it’s the least I can do,” Jonathan dismissed, making a shooing motion towards the stairs as he grabbed his keys “come on, bedtime for you”

“I’m nearly eighteen, Dad,” Clark grumbled good-naturedly as he climbed the stairs “I stopped having a ‘bedtime’ when I was like, five” he added as he rounded the corner and disappeared up the stairs…

******

“Thanks again, Mr. Kent” Chloe chuckled as the Kents’ truck hummed down the darkened road

“Jonathan, Chloe,” Jonathan reminded her “Jonathan”

“Right,” Chloe blushed “sorry. Still getting used to that”

“So, what was that about Whitney today?” Jonathan wondered

“Hmm, more weirdness,” Chloe answered “apparently, according to Clark, Whitney trashed the bathroom at the Talon today in a jealous rage and then told Clark to stay away from Lana”

“Well, Whitney’s always has had a bit of a jealous streak” Jonathan dismissed

“True,” Chloe nodded “but,” she frowned “I don’t know, from the way Clark describes it, this sounds less like a simple case of jealousy”

“You’re thinking post-traumatic stress?” Jonathan wondered

Chloe shrugged

“Could be, I know that a lot of my Dad’s coworkers had it after the tornado,” she explained “LuthorCorp even called in some expert psychologist from Metropolis” she added. She frowned “you know, I still have that doctor’s contact info,” she began “maybe I could give it to Whitney?”

“Couldn’t hurt,” Jonathan shrugged as he pulled the truck to a stop outside her house “of course,” he added as she unbuckled her seatbelt “there’s no guarantee that he’ll go”

“True,” Chloe sighed as she hopped out of the truck’s cab “well, thanks for dinner, Jonathan”

“You’re welcome,” Jonathan smiled “I take it that you and Clark have cleared the air on certain…issues?” he asked

Chloe beamed

“Nothing but clear skies and smooth sailing the near-future” she proclaimed

“Good to hear it,” Jonathan nodded “tell your Dad I said hi” he called as she hurried up the steps

“Will do” she called back as the truck drove off…


	6. Warped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter SIX! Enjoy! :=)

******

Chloe muffled a yawn as she walked into the bedroom she shared with Lana, finding Lana was still awake and sitting up in bed, staring off into space

“Hey,” Chloe greeted “thought I was the one who usually burned the midnight oil around here”

“Can’t sleep,” Lana shrugged “were you just at the Kents?” she asked

“Yeah,” Chloe answered as she shrugged off her shoes “Mrs. Kent invited me to stay for dinner”

“Did Clark explain himself?” Lana demanded

Chloe blinked

“Sorry, what?” she asked “explain about what?”

Lana finally turned to face her

“Whitney told me that he found Clark tearing up the bathroom at the Talon today,” she explained “he said that Clark was in some kind of jealous rage. He even told Whitney to stay away from me”

“O…K,” Chloe said slowly “I just talked to Clark and he says that _Whitney_ was the one doing the bathroom demolishing”

“Oh and we all know that you’re utterly unbiased when it comes to Clark” Lana spat

“OK, did someone put something in the water?” Chloe demanded as Lana sighed, the fight seeming to leave her as quickly as it had come

“I’m sorry,” she apologized “I didn’t mean that,” she sighed “it’s just…I trust Whitney”

“Well I trust Clark,” Chloe countered “and we both know that while Clark has his secrets he’s not one for lying”

“No,” Lana huffed “he’s not,” she tiredly ran a hand through her hair “which means that Whitney’s lying”

“Looks like it,” Chloe sighed as she sank down on the bed next to Lana “sorry,” she apologized “and if it means anything I think I know why he’s acting this way”

“Why?” Lana asked

“I think its PTSD,” Chloe explained “lots of soldiers have come back home with undiagnosed cases of it,” she shrugged “maybe…Whitney’s one of them” she suggested…

******

“Clark! Hey!” Chloe waved as she jogged down the hall

“Hey” Clark greeted

“Have you talked to Lana today?” Chloe asked

“No, why?” Clark asked, frowning

“Well, according to her, Whitney told her that it was _you_ going postal on the Talon bathroom yesterday” Chloe explained

“What?” Clark demanded “why would he say that?”

“I don’t know,” Chloe shrugged helplessly “but, I was talking with your dad when he was driving me home yesterday,” she reached into her bag and pulled out a shelf of papers “…and I remembered that my Dad and a bunch of his coworkers all had to talk to this shrink that LuthorCorp hired after the tornado. The guy specializes in people with PTSD”

“So maybe he could talk to Whitney” Clark nodded along

“It’s worth a shot” Chloe shrugged

“Maybe,” Clark nodded “what are these?” he asked as he flipped through the papers

“Oh, tractor discounts for your Dad,” Chloe explained “I was hoping that you could through them with me because, in case you hadn’t noticed, but I have _no idea_ what to look for”

Clark chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders

“Don’t worry,” he assured her “we’ll turn you into a proper farm girl yet”

“Oh my god, don’t even joke about that!” Chloe groaned as they made their way into the cafeteria. Filling their lunch trays, they found a table off in a nice quiet corner by a window

“OK,” Clark shuffled through the papers that Chloe had printed out, most appeared to be from websites that sold used farm equipment, most of the sellers appeared to the owners who were just looking to get rid of an older model tractor, Clark discarded three already since the ad stated that the tractor being sold needed ‘some repairs’ which Clark knew usually meant it practically needed to be rebuilt from scratch.

“All right,” he held out four of the papers “this one we can exclude”

“Why?” Chloe asked

“Chloe, look at the color!” Clark exclaimed

“So? Can’t you just repaint it?”

“Chloe, do you _know_ how expensive that kind of paint is?” Clark countered “you can’t just walk into a hardware store and ask for ‘Ford blue’ or ‘Chevy grey’.” he explained “plus it has to be done by a professional”

“Ay,” Chloe groaned “who knew running a farm cost so much?” she grumbled

“ _I_ did” Clark reminded her with a playful nudge

“OK,” Chloe took the papers from him and put them back in her bag “we’re at lunch, let’s talk shop some other time,” she declared “what?” she asked as Clark stared at her, smirking

“Nothing,” he chuckled “I just, you look really cute right now” he shrugged

“Cute, huh?” Chloe chuckled “well, let me in on a little secret of my own, Clark: I have never _ever_ been cute. _Ever_ ”

“Oh I don’t know,” Clark chuckled “you’re looking pretty cute right now”

“I am not, you take that back, Kent,” she brandished a plastic spork at him “I mean it!” she added

Clark just laughed…

******

Clark knocked again, a little louder this time, as he stood on the front step to the Fordman’s house, stepping back as the door opened and Whitney stepped out onto the step with a glower

“What do you want, Kent?” he sneered

“Whitney,” Clark nodded politely as he pulled out the paper from his pocket “look, I know you’ve been through a lot,” he began “but I think you might need some help,” he held out the paper “Chloe found this psychologist, he helped her Dad after the tornado and—”

“The only thing I need is for you to stay away from Lana,” Whitney sneered as he got into Clark’s personal space “stay away from her and stick to your own girl, Kent” he spat, putting a hand on Clark’s shoulder and giving him a hard shove, actually pushing Clark off his feet to fall back in a sprawl in the drive.

Sitting up, Clark stared at Whitney as he gave one more glower before going back inside. Squinting, Clark x-rayed through the door, watching as Whitney’s skeletal form moved on the other side, except Whitney’s skeleton didn’t look right, the bones were misshapen, warped, the individual bones moving with a jiggling, almost rubbery fashion as Whitney moved…

******

On the other side of the door, Whitney locked the door and moved into the kitchen, absently picking up an apple from a bowl as he did. He paused mid-bite at whimper and turned to look over his shoulder, glowering at Mrs. Fordman, who was now bound to a chair, a strip of duct tape over her mouth gagging he, her eyes wide with terror as she struggled against her bonds, whimpering plaintively.

“Shut up!” Whitney ordered…


	7. The Mighty Morphing Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Chapter SEVEN! Enjoy! :=)

******

“Hey” Clark knocked on the open door to the Torch

“Hey” Chloe grinned as she looked 

“Listen, I think we have a problem” Clark began

“Ah, let me stop you there,” Chloe warned “unless you’re here to help me with this issue’s layout, leave the room” she instructed as she moved around the room at her usual, caffeine-fueled pace

“I don’t think Whitney is actually Whitney,” Clark explained as he sat down “at least not any more”

Chloe stopped

“OK,” she frowned “are we talking in an existential fashion? Or is this…Wall of Weird material?” she asked

“I think he’s actually Tina Gree” Clark sighed

“The mighty morphing girl?” Chloe asked incredulously

“The girl who was Lex, then Lana, then locked up?” Clark hinted “she was obsessed with Lana,” he pointed out “maybe she escaped from the hospital to see her again. Who better to impersonate than Whitney?”

“Clark, it can’t be her,” Chloe shook her head “no way”

“Why not?” Clark insisted

“Because she’s _dead_ ,” Chloe exclaimed as she held up a layout of the next issue of the Torch “she committed suicide two weeks ago. I’m doing a story on it on page two” she explained

“What happened?” Clark asked

“Well, according to the police report, she went into the hospital’s arts room, doused herself in paint thinner, and lit a match,”

Clark grimaced, gagging slightly

“I know,” Chloe nodded “definitely not on my top ten ways to off myself,” she shuddered as well as she continued “Tina left a note saying that she just didn’t know who she was anymore”

Clark frowned, the wheels turning in his head

“Did they ID Tina from her dental records?” he asked

Chloe frowned

“Uh-oh,” she muttered. She turned to the computer and began typing “I’m e-mailing one of my contacts at the coroner’s office,” she explained “we should get the results back in an hour,” she shook her head “but what about the real Whitney? What happened to him?” she wondered

“I don’t know,” Clark sighed “but there’s something else; I think Tina may know about my abilities”

“You _think_?” Chloe demanded

“Well, I had to use them to stop her the first time,” Clark explained “when she was declared insane I didn’t think I’d have to worry, who would believe her?”

“Great,” Chloe sighed “what about the meteor rocks?”

“I don’t know,” Clark shrugged “maybe, she was wearing Lana’s necklace when I fought her last time”

“Wonderful,” Chloe sighed “so, let’s review, we have a girl who’s just as strong as you, might know about your weakness, could decide to out you at anytime, _and_ she could be anybody right now,” she shook her head “well, I’ll say this for you, Clark; dating you certainly isn’t boring”

Clark smirked humorlessly

“I’m going to go to the Fordman’s,” he explained as he stood up “can you keep an eye on Lana?”

“Will do,” Chloe nodded. She grabbed his arm as he turned to leave. Frowning, she leaned in and gave him a kiss “be careful” she pleaded

“You too” Clark told her. Then, in a burst of speed, he was gone…

******

At that moment, at the Talon, Whitney walked up to Lana

“Hey, you got a minute?” he asked

“Uh, actually I’m a little busy right now,” Lana answered “can it wait a minute?”

“No, no,” grinning excitedly, Whitney took her arm and led her over to a corner. Practically vibrating with excitement, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box and opened it, revealing a small ring

“Lana, will you marry me?” he asked, his eyes wide and bright

“Whitney…” Lana sighed

“I know, I know, it’s all sort of sudden,” Whitney explained “but I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. Now we’re both legal, we can elope,” he frowned as Lana sighed “what? What is it?” he asked as she stood up and turned away, running her hands through her hair

“That video letter I sent you,” she began “there were some things I said in it that…that I can’t keep from you any more”

“Like what?” Whitney asked, shaking his head in confusion

Lana took a breath, recalling Clark and Chloe’s words about not leading Whitney on

“I said…that I thought that we should go our separate ways” she finally admitted, mentally cringing at how Whitney… _crumpled_ at hear those words “I didn’t want to say anything when you said that you couldn’t remember,” she continued in a rush “but, now I realize that isn’t not fair to either of us to keep doing this,” she tentatively reached out, gently taking his arm “I will _always_ care about you, Whitney” she breathed

“Yeah, but you care about Clark more” Whitney sneered

“This has absolutely _nothing_ to do with Clark!” Lana exclaimed as Whitney suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders

“Look me in the eye and tell me that you don’t have feelings for him!” he snarled

Lana yanked herself free from his grip

“What is wrong with you?” she demanded “maybe Chloe is right, maybe you do need help” she hissed as she went back to the counter. Whitney seemed to reign in his anger and took a breath, trying for a weak smile

“It’s OK, all right? You know what, one thing combat taught me was to how mourn lose and…move on,” he took a breath “look, can I just ask you one thing?”

“Of course” Lana nodded

“Your necklace,” Whitney blushed, smiling sheepishly “I just…I—I’d like something to remember you by, I know how important it is to you”

“It is,” Lana nodded as she reached up and undid the clasp on the necklace “…which is why I want you to have it” she explained as she dropped into his hand. Smiling, Whitney curled his hand around it as he softly turned around and walked out.

Taking a shuddering breath, Lana began to wipe down the counter, absently noting of how that went a lot easier than she thought it would

“Lana!”

She looked up as Chloe frantically hurried up to the counter

“Hey, have you seen Whitney?” she asked

“You just missed him,” Lana answered “I, uh, I took your advice, told him the truth about the video letter. He took it surprisingly well”

“Yeah, I’m not surprised, considering that it might not be Whitney” Chloe muttered

“What?” Lana asked

Chloe sighed

“Clark and I think that it might actually be Tina Greer,” Chloe explained “I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but it might explain Whitney’s sudden odd behavior; trashing the bathroom, lying about it to you, the way he acted when he thought that you and Clark were spending too much time together”

“But, wait,” Lana shook her head “if that’s Tina, then what happened to the ‘real’ Whitney?”

“I don’t know,” Chloe shook her head “Clark’s over at the Fordman’s right now, if he finds anything he’ll call me,” she paused and frowned “Lana, where’s your necklace?” she asked

“Whitney has it,” Lana answered “I just gave it to him,” she explained “he said he wanted something to remember me by”

“Then it is Tina,” Chloe sighed, as she dug her cell phone out “I need to call Clark…”

******

Clark leaned on the doorbell, and then knocked again

“Mrs. Fordman?” he called out. When no answer came, he looked around and, making sure that no one was looking, punched the lock out with his finger. Opening the door, he looked around the oddly quiet house “Mrs. Fordman?” he called out again, a loud thump suddenly came from the kitchen. Rounding the corner, he found Mrs. Fordman bound and gagged.

Hurrying over, he quickly and gently peeled the strip of duct tape off her mouth

“Are you all right?” he asked as he undid the bindings on her wrists “where’s Whitney?”

“I don’t, I don’t know,” Mrs. Fordman frantically shook her head “that girl…she’s some kind of monster” she panted out as Clark gently eased her out of the chair, pausing at a rhythmic thumping coming from behind a door off to the side

“What’s down there?” he asked

“Uh, the basement” Mrs. Fordman answered. Squinting, Clark x-rayed through the door, finding a skeletal figure apparently tied up and kicking against a pipe. Turning back to Mrs. Fordman, Clark gently took her by the shoulders

“Go outside,” he instructed. Nodding shakily, she hurried outside as Clark turned back to the door, finding it locked of course. Breaking the lock, he cautiously opened the door and peered down the short flight of stairs, seeing nothing. Digging around in his pockets, he pulled out the small flashlight he always carried and slowly made his way down into the dark and cluttered basement, at first seeing nothing even as the sound got louder.

Swinging his flashlight to the left, he jumped at a muffled yell. Gasping, he took a step back, feeling a sense of relief and anger well up inside him as he hurried over to the bound and gagged, but still alive, Whitney Fordman

“Are you all right?” Clark asked as he undid Whitney’s bonds, cringing at the sight of the numerous bruises and cuts and scrapes covering Whitney’s body. A quick x-ray reveled that the fingers on Whitney’s right hand had all been broken and he had at least two cracked ribs. Tina had probably been keeping him alive for information, torturing him for information to keep up the charade.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here” Clark panted out as he slung one of Whitney’s arms over his shoulders and walked him back up the stairs and out of the basement…


	8. Anywhere and Anyone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triple update! Chapter EIGHT! Enjoy! :=)

******

The staff at the Smallville Medical Center was used to strange and unusual cases. Ever since the meteor shower, the town had become an epicenter for all things weird and unexplained. So the sight of town hero Whitney Fordman and his nearly-hysterical mother both being brought in by the Kent boy caused very few eyebrows to rise. No, the doctors and nurses did as they were taught; they reset and splinted Whitney’s broken fingers, bound his cracked ribs, cleaned and dressed his wounds, gave his mother a strong sedative, and then admitted them both for overnight observation.

Standing outside the room that both mother and son now shared, Lana Lang shook her head in disbelief

“I almost didn’t want to believe Chloe when she told me” she murmured. To her right, Clark sighed

“I didn’t want to believe it either” he admitted

“So, all this time, these past few days, it’s been Tina, not Whitney?” Lana asked

“According to Whitney, Tina came by their house disguised as a Marine;” Clark began “she got the drop on Whitney and then impersonated him”

“But why keep him alive?” Lana wondered “why not just…?” she trailed off

“I’m guessing she was keeping him alive for information,” Chloe shrugged as she came over “wanted to make sure the illusion was perfect,” she put a steadying hand on Lana’s shoulder “how are you holding up?” she asked

“As well as can be expected” Lana shrugged

“You should go home, Lana,” Clark advised “get some rest”

“He’s right,” Chloe nodded “go,” she encouraged “we’ll stay with Whitney”

Still looking concerned, Lana slowly nodded and tiredly shuffled off down the hallway. Sighing, Chloe turned to Clark

“God, what a mess” she sighed

“I know,” Clark rubbed at his eyes “this is going to sound horrible right now, but…has she told Whitney—the _real_ Whitney—about…you know?”

“Don’t know,” Chloe shook her head “although, I suspect that’s the last thing a guy wants to hear after being tied up and locked in his own basement while a bone-morphing girl runs around town wearing his face”

“Yeah,” Clark agreed. He sighed as he glanced at his watch “I should probably head home too,” he muttered “you going to be OK here?”

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him “go on, you don’t want to worry your parents”

“If anything happens…” he began

“…I’ll call you,” she smiled “top of my speed dial, remember?” she teased with a grin. Grinning back, Clark waved as he turned and walked down the hall…

******

“Hi, Clark”

Clark looked up as he walked into the barn

“Oh, hi, Dad” he greeted as he sat down, tiredly rubbing at the back of his neck

“Say, how’s Mrs. Fordman and Whitney?” Jonathan asked as he tightened the bolt he was working on

“They’re going to keep them overnight at the hospital” Clark explained

“Good to hear,” Jonathan nodded “so, any word Tina?” he wondered

“No,” Clark sighed “she could be anywhere, any _one_ , and I’m the only one who can tell the difference” he groaned, wincing at the sudden bout of nausea that flared up in his gut. It felt like the meteor rocks, except they didn’t have any meteor rocks on the farm

“Well,” Jonathan began as he put a hand on Clark’s shoulder, the pain pulsing through Clark’s body increasing as he did “…you’re right about that”

Groaning, Clark winced as he vision suddenly blurred

“Dad…” he panted out as his knees suddenly gave out, Jonathan calmly standing over him, looking utterly unconcerned

“What’s wrong, Clark?” he asked as he held up a hand, Lana’s necklace dangling from his fingertips “feeling sick?” he asked as his voice changed, lightening in pitch to a distinctly feminine tone

“Tina…” Clark realized as he watched Jonathan’s features blur and distort…


	9. Stolen Visage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter NINE! Enjoy! :=)

******

Clark groaned as he was thrown down the stairs leading down into the storm cellar, too weak to even cry out

“I always knew that there was something different about you, Clark,” Tina remarked as she calmly followed him down, the borrowed clothes she was wearing now hanging loosely and baggily off her form “you should be dead, but….you’re not. The meteors must’ve done something to you too,” she reasoned as she stood over him, examining the necklace now tightly wrapped around Clark’s neck, and not for the first time he was left to wonder how a stone no bigger than a marble could _**hurt**_ so much.

“Looks painful” Tina chuckled as she spied a length of rope and, grabbing it, quickly crouched down and began tying Clark’s hands behind his back

“Tina…,” Clark panted out, his words coming out hoarse and slurred “don’t do this”

“If I want to be with Lana,” Tina began as she tightened the rope “then I don’t have a choice”

“Last year,” Clark swallowed against the bile rising in his throat “you tried to kill her”

“I was confused,” Tina dismissed as she stood up “I didn’t know what I wanted. She rejected me, and I acted without thinking. Worst mistake of my life, I see that now, I love her,” she explained “I would _anything_ to be with her. And now I know what she wants the most,”

Clark recoiled as her voice changed to match his own

“It’s going to fun being you, Clark,” his doppelganger continued “you have a _great_ life. Great parents. Great friends. And the girl of our dreams,” Tina sighed as she rolled her shoulders, the borrowed clothes now fitting her comfortably in Clark’s form “of course,” she added “I’ll have to get rid of your little blonde reporter girlfriend first. She’s too nosy for her own good”

“No,” Clark groaned, panic filling him “stay away from her” he pleaded

“You don’t deserve this life, Clark,” Tina hissed as she ascended the stairs, opening the door “I do”

“No!” Clark groaned as she stepped out in the moonlight, shutting the door behind her. Leaving Clark alone in the darkness, with only the sickly green glow of the meteor rock for company…

******

Chloe shook out her hands as she finished washing up in one of the small, cramped bathrooms that Smallville Medical Center had to offer. Staring at her reflection, she reasoned that she should probably head home at some point, Whitney as his mother were both doing fine, and her dad was probably starting to worry. Like many parents, Gabe Sullivan viewed his daughter’s growing independence with a combined mix of both pride and abject terror, no doubt he was already calling around to see if anyone knew where she was.

As if on cue, her cell phone rang

 _‘Speak of the devil’_ she thought as she answered it

“Hello, Dad”

“ _Chloe_ ” Martha Kent exclaimed on the other end

“Oh, Mrs. Kent, sorry, I thought you were my Dad calling to check up on me”

“ _That’s all right,_ ” Martha dismissed “ _have you seen Clark? He hasn’t come home_ ”

“Uh, no,” Chloe frowned, trying to ignore the worry now eating away at her gut “I haven’t seen him since he left the hospital. He said that he was going to go straight home” she explained

Martha sighed worriedly

“ _All right,_ ” Chloe could picture her pacing her kitchen “ _if you see him, call us please?_ ” she requested

“Of course,” Chloe replied “I’ll try to call him right now, maybe he just got sidetracked. You know Clark, sometimes he’d forget his own head if it wasn’t attached”

Martha chuckled weakly

“ _Thanks, Chloe_ ”

“No problem,” Chloe replied evenly as she hung up. Pulling up her contacts list, she hit Clark’s speed dial—number one—as she exited the bathroom “come on, come on” she muttered as it rang and rang

“ _Hi, this is Clark, I can’t come to phone right now, so just leave a message and I’ll get back to you_ ”

“Damn it,” Chloe muttered as the voicemail beeped “Clark, it’s Chloe, listen your parents haven’t heard from you and they’re staring to get worried. Oh, hell, who am I kidding, _I’m_ starting to get worried” she paused at the sight of Whitney stepping out of his room, awkwardly shrugging on his jacket as best he could with a broken hand “look,” Chloe sighed into the phone “I’ve got to go, Whitney’s going AWOL apparently. Just…call me, please,” she pleaded as she hung up and then jogged down the short length of hallway to Whitney

“Whitney, what are you doing?” she asked

“I’m checking out,” Whitney answered, groaning as he kept struggling with his jacket “I can’t just sit here while Tina’s out there doing god knows what” he exclaimed

“Normally, I’d disagree with you,” Chloe sighed “but Mrs. Kent just called; Clark hasn’t come home, and he’s not answering his cell”

“You think Tina got to him?” Whitney asked

“I don’t know, I hope not,” Chloe sighed as she raked a hand through her hair “look, I know that you two haven’t always seen eye to eye, but—”

Whitney stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder

“It’s all right, Chloe,” he smiled “what do you need?”

Chloe felt herself smile

“Well,” she began “for starters, I could use a Marine”

Whitney matched her grin with one of his own

“Semper Fi” he chuckled…

******

Meanwhile, Clark weakly twisted and tugged at the ropes binding his hands. If he could just get his hands free then he could just slip off the necklace. Groaning, he twisted and writhed futilely on the floor. He had to get out, he had to save Chloe. Tina would go after her first, he just knew it.

Moaning at the burning pain flooding his body without end, he weakly managed to flop onto his back as the air suddenly seemed charged with electricity. Weakly rolling over onto his other side, he stared through blurry eyes at the building glow coming from the ship, hidden in a corner under a tarp. As he watched the glow steadily built along with a buzzing humming sound, like the ship was charging up somehow, for what he had no idea.

Suddenly, the glow intensified; a brilliant burst of sound and light suddenly erupting from the ship in a small shockwave that swirled around Clark in a whirlwind. Twisting his head away from the blinding glow, Clark panted for breath as the pain from the necklace suddenly vanished, and with it, he could feel his strength slowly returning as the light from the ship suddenly died down, smoke curling off the tarp as the outline of the ship glowed a dull green, almost like it had somehow… _absorbed_ the radiation or energy from the necklace.

Still feeling incredibly weak, Clark took a breath and began working on the rope again…

******

Chloe impatiently drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she sped down the road, heading for the Kent farm. Besides her, Whitney frowned, studying her

“You and Clark are close, aren’t you?” he asked

“We’re dating” Chloe nodded shortly as she turned the corner

“Yeah, but I mean, its more than that, isn’t it?” Whitney probed

Chloe glanced at him out of the corner of her eye

“It is” she nodded as she pulled the car to a stop at the Kent house. Hopping out, she and Whitney hurried up the porch to the front door, the door opening before either of them had a chance to knock

“Chloe,” Jonathan looked somewhat surprised as he looked between the two of them “what are you two doing here?” he asked

“Organizing a search party” Chloe answered

Jonathan nodded as he reached back to a side table by the front door and then held out two flashlights to both of them

“I was just about to check the outbuildings,” he explained “why don’t you two check the barn and the stables?” he suggested

“On it” Whitney nodded as he took the flashlight. Moving down the steps, the three broke apart, Chloe heading for the barn, Whitney heading for the stable, and Jonathan for the smaller areas, all while a worried Martha watched from the house…


	10. Death Match

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Chapter TEN! Enjoy! :=)

******

Lana gathered up the last items on the tray and turned to put them away to be cleaned when the doors to the Talon opened. Turning, she smiled as Clark entered

“Hi, Lana” he beamed widely at her, almost goofily

“Hi, Clark,” she greeted, feeling her stomach do a little flip at the sight of Clark’s smile. If she was totally honest with herself she knew that she was attracted to Clark, but she had lucked out, he only had eyes for Chloe now, she could see that even if Chloe didn’t, Clark was totally head over heels in love with the blonde

“I’m just closing up,” Lana explained, shaking off the cobwebs “so if you need a caffeine fix, it’ll have to wait until tomorrow”

“No, no,” Clark chuckled and grinned shyly “no, I’m not here for coffee,” he explained as he came up to her and took her by the shoulders “I’m here for you”

******

Jonathan yanked the door to the storm cellar open harder than necessary, peering intently down the stairs with his flashlight

“Clark?” he called out, feeling his heart seize in his chest as the weak beam from the flashlight caught a flash of a red and blue “Clark!” Jonathan turned to look over his shoulder “Chloe! Whitney! He’s down here!” he called out as he hurried down the stairs, rushing over to Clark, who was slowly sitting up “Clark? Son? You all right? What happened?” he demanded as he quickly cut the rope binding Clark’s wrists

“I’m fine,” Clark panted out “the ship saved me” he explained as he shakily got to his feet

“How’d it do that?” Jonathan asked

“I don’t know,” Clark shook his head “but look what it did to Lana’s necklace,” he held up the pendent to the light, causing Jonathan to frown as it noticed the now clear, glass-like stone hanging from the chain

“Oh god,” Clark suddenly gasped “Chloe!”

“Whoa! Whoa!” Jonathan grabbed his arm “Chloe’s fine,” he explained “in fact she’s—”

“Clark!” Chloe herself suddenly hurried down the stairs to the storm cellar, throwing her arms around Clark’s shoulders as she saw him “don’t you _ever_ do that again!” she ordered as she pulled away, smacking him in arm “what happened?”

“Tina Greer ambushed me,” Clark explained “she used Lana’s necklace to incapacitate me, but the ship save me”

“The ship?” Chloe looked over at Jonathan, looking equally confused “how exactly?” she wondered

“I don’t know,” Clark shook his head “look, Tina’s going after Lana, do you know where she is?”

“Yeah, she should be closing up the Talon right about now” Chloe explained

“The Talon” Clark nodded, hurrying up the stairs only to suddenly stop

“What is it?” Jonathan asked

“My speed’s still gone” Clark explained

“I’ll drive” Chloe explained as she sprinted up the stairs, Clark following close behind. Leaving Jonathan to puzzle over the tarp covered ship…

******

“Can’t you go any faster?” Clark demanded

“Hey, I’m driving with only one good hand here” Whitney exclaimed from behind the wheel of Chloe’s VW Bug as it sped down the darkened roads towards the Talon

“So, I don’t get it,” Chloe spoke up from the backseat “why is Tina going after Lana again?”

“She thinks she’s in love with her,” Clark explained “that’s why she impersonated Whitney”

“And now, since we found the real Whitney, she’s decided to go for everyone’s favorite farm boy” Chloe reasoned

“Crap” Whitney muttered as he pushed down on the accelerator. He could mention what he overheard by the Kents’ storm cellar later…

******

Meanwhile, Lana frowned at Clark as she continued gathering up the leftover cups and mugs

“So, what brings you by?” she asked

“Look,” Clark took a breath “seeing you earlier, with Whitney, it did make me jealous,” he explained “it made me realize that if I don’t act on my feelings now then I’ll never get the chance”

Lana blinked and stared at him

“What about Chloe?” she asked

“Chloe’s not who I want to be with!” Clark insisted as he approached her. He reached out and cupped her face “I love you, Lana” he proclaimed, pulling her in for a kiss, but Lana put a hand on his chest, stopping him

“Clark, wait,” she panted out “what about Chloe?” she asked “you can’t just reject her like this” she pointed out

“This isn’t about Chloe!” Clark snarled as the doors suddenly banged open and Whitney and Clark entered.

Lana gapped as she looked between the two Clarks

“Get away from her!” the Second Clark ordered

“What’s going on?” Lana demanded as Clark took her hand

“I’ll explain everything once I get you away from Tina” he urged

“No, Lana, _that’s_ Tina,” Whitney exclaimed “this is the real Clark” he pointed to the Clark next to him

“The guy who fixed the leaky drainpipe!” said Clark urged. Lana looked up at the Clark next to her and tried to pull her arm free

“No!” the grip tightened as who she now knew to be Tina Greer pulled her close “we’re supposed to be together!” she insisted, suddenly letting out a pained yelled as Chloe smashed a chair into her back. Doubling over, Tina reverted to her real form, before catching herself on one knee and, getting back to her feet, grabbed Chloe by one arm and flung her across the room where she collided with the wall with a pained yell before crumpling to the floor, unmoving

“I got her!” Whitney called out as he rushed to Chloe’s side, while Lana ran and ducked behind Clark. As for his part, all Clark saw was Chloe sailing through the air to hit the wall. Suddenly he saw red, suddenly he didn’t care that Lana and Whitney could see him use his powers, suddenly all he wanted to do was _hurt_ Tina.

With an angry bellow, he charged with a burst of superspeed, pinning Tina to the wall as she kicked and snarled like a wild animal

“You ruin everything!!” she snarled as she clawed at his shoulders, managing to twist him around and fling them both through the loading dock doors out into the back alley.

Staggering their feet, both Clark and Tina circled each other, sizing each other up

“I’m going to kick your ass, Kent!” Tina spat, spittle flying from her mouth as she shrugged off her stolen, too-big jacket. Throwing her arms back, she suddenly lunged with a primal growl, catching Clark off guard and forcing him back into a stack of pallets. Twisting, Clark managed to hook his arm under Tina’s and spin this around, pinning her against the pallets.

Arms flailing, Tina grabbed and uprooted a large pipe, swinging it up and into Clark’s jaw, sending him flying back through the window of what used to be Nell’s flower shop. Shaking off the ache in his jaw, pollen drifting around him, Clark regained his senses just as Tina stormed through the window, holding the severed pipe high above her head, ready to stab it down at him.

Kicking out a leg, Clark caught her in the midsection, sending her crashing back through the window and onto the pavement. Getting to his feet, Clark marched out into the alley

“Tina! Stop!” he pleaded “you don’t have to do this! I can help you!” he pleaded. Eyes wide and wild, hair mussed, Tina frantically looked around, grabbing a generator from off a nearby pickup truck and hoisting it high above her head

“ _ **WHY DON’T YOU JUST DIE?!?!?!!?**_ ” she screamed as she lunged. Shooting out of the way at superspeed, Clark realized too late his mistake as Tina suddenly ran straight into a piece of broken wood from the shattered window, impaling herself.

Gagging, she dropped the generator and, for a second, simply lay there, blood staining the wood as Clark hurried over to her side, trying to help. He grabbed the wood and broke it off, leaving a majority still inside Tina’s body, having learned from an early age that, in the case of impalements, it was best to leave the foreign object in the victim, lest they bleed out.

Trying to be as gentle as possible, Clark eased Tina onto the ground, trying to make her comfortable

“Hold on, I’m going to get you to a doctor” he urged, but Tina suddenly grabbed his arm, smiling weakly as blood dribbled out of the corner of her mouth

“ _Take…care…of…her…_ ” she croaked out before she let out one final breath.

Sighing, Clark sat back on his heels, wondering why it always had to end in someone dying

“Clark”

He looked up at the voice, seeing Chloe cautiously approaching, Lana and Whitney both standing in the door to the Talon. Getting to his feet, Clark pulled Chloe close

“Are you all right?” he asked

“Yeah,” she nodded as she buried her face in his shoulder “yeah, I’m good”

“Good” Clark nodded shakily, suddenly terrified at the thought of losing her. He glanced back at Tina’s body, silently vowing to never let Chloe come to harm ever…


	11. A New Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter ELEVEN! Only one more to go folks! Enjoy :=)

******

The next day dawned bright and clear and as Martha loaded up the truck with produce for her stand at the Grandville Winter Festival, Jonathan went in search of Clark

“Clark?” he called out as he walked into the barn, frowning as the sound of the table saw got louder “Clark?” rounding the corner, he stopped and smirked at what he saw

“Good, good,” Clark encouraged as he stood behind Chloe and helped guide her hands as she cut a board in half with the table saw “that’s it” he proclaimed as he shut off the saw

“I did it!” Chloe grinned madly, eyes bright behind the safety goggles as she held up the two pieces of wood

“Congratulations,” Clark grinned, giving her a peck on the cheek “your first bit of manual labor, how’s it feel?”

“Not bad” she grinned

“No, it’s not,” Jonathan agreed as he came over, startling the two teens. Chuckling, he took the two pieces of wood and examined them “not bad, Chloe, not bad at all,” he complimented “so, getting some practice in for farm work?” he wondered

“Chloe was wondering what it was like to do some woodworking,” Clark explained “thought I’d show her” he shrugged

Jonathan chuckled

“Maybe we could show her how to whittle someday” he suggested

“You can do that?” Chloe asked

Jonathan nodded

“Sure, my Dad taught me,” he answered “I tried to teach Clark, but, well, he’s all thumbs” he sighed

“I kept breaking the knives in half,” Clark explained “eventually Dad got tired of having to buy new ones”

“So, not so ‘super’ after all, huh?” Chloe teased, playfully nudging him

“Afraid not” he shrugged, grinning

“Come on, you two,” Jonathan invited “we’re going to be late for the Winter Festival”

******

The Grandville Winter Festival was one of the biggest events in the county, hosted every year in Grandville; it featured wares from all over Lowell County, from Smallville, to Metropolis, to as far as Kansas City. Currently, event promoters had declared this year’s to the biggest one yet, with some sellers coming from as far as Hub City.

Ever since he was little, Clark had always wanted to go, but usually a trip to the festival was a rare event, neither Martha or Jonathan could afford spare a few hours out of a busy farm schedule to go, and getting a spot for a stand was an expensive and laborious process, requiring a whole slew of forms and requests. This year however, fate had smiled on the Kents, a spot had opened up and the promoters had reduced the entry fees in order to attract more sellers. And while the entry fee was still pretty steep, it had been Martha’s hope that they’d make up for it in sales, they had grown a good crop of organic produce this year, in fact they had more fruits and vegetables than they knew what to do with, so the surplus was now being proudly displayed on a table baring a sign reading

KENT FARM ORGANIC PRODUCE

For her part, Chloe didn’t really need to be at the stall, in fact she was more than free to go and wander the other stalls and see what they had to offer, but she felt oddly responsible and had remained to help set up. Currently she was helping Martha hang up a sign advertising the Kents’ lower prices

“Thanks, Chloe” Martha sighed

“No problem,” Chloe replied as she sat down in the folding chair that had been set up “you know, I’m developing a whole new appreciation for what you and Jonathan do every day”

“Thinking of settling down on the farm?” Martha teased

Chloe snorted

“No thank you, I’m still hoping for an office at the _Daily Planet_ one of these days,” she proclaimed “but,” she glanced over at Clark, who was helping his farther unload the truck “I’m starting to appreciate this kind of life” she admitted

“It’s not an easy life,” Martha reminded her “but, it has it own rewards”

They both smirked at each other as they watched their respective significant others at work

“Chloe!”

Chloe looked up at the called, grinning

“Lana, hey!” she waved as Lana came over, Whitney idly trailing behind

“I’m surprised to see you helping out,” Lana teased “thought you’d have run off the second you got here”

“Nah, I’m turning over a new leaf,” Chloe proclaimed as she took a box from Clark “just call me ‘farmer Sullivan’.” she grinned

“OK” Clark grinned, which earned him a light kick to the shin from her

"Whitney, how's your mother doing?" Martha asked

"Better," Whitney nodded "not great, but...better," he smiled somewhat bitterly “so, Clark,” he began “got to admit, you were pretty brave last night, taking on Tina Greer like that by yourself” he remarked

Clark shrugged

“Somebody had to stop her” he dismissed

“Still, it must help that you’re just as strong as her, eh?” Whitney asked.

The Kents and Chloe all froze

“We saw what happened last night, Clark,” Lana explained “what you can do”

“Lana…” Chloe began, but Lana held up a hand, shaking her head

“I don’t care that you have secrets,” she said “but, please, don’t insult me by lying to me” looking tired, she stepped back, quickly disappearing into the crowd

“She’ll come around,” Whitney explained “but, listen, I overheard you guys outside the storm cellar last night, something about a ship?” he hinted, absently picking up an apple from the stand and lightly tossing in his hand “and I know that a lot people swore that something else came down on the day of the meteor shower. Something….alien” he continued

“Whitney…” Jonathan began

“Relax, Mr. Kent,” Whitney smiled reassuringly at him “I can keep a secret, I won’t tell anybody,” he lightly tossed the apple to Clark “but, hey, if you ever need a hand, Clark, you know where to find me”

“That’s it?” Chloe asked

“That’s it,” Whitney confirmed “look, you could do anything with your powers, Clark, you could hurt people like Tina Greer, but you don’t, you help people. And that deserves respect, you don’t want me to tell anyone, I won’t tell anyone, and neither will Lana”

“Thank you, Whitney” Martha breathed

“Sure thing, Mrs. Kent,” Whitney nodded “although,” he began “I do have a favor to ask”

“Of course” Jonathan nodded, still looking suspicious

“I need a job,” Whitney shrugged “Lana offered me a job at the Talon, but,” he shrugged “well, let’s just say things are still a little….tense between us”

“I take it she finally told you about the video letter?” Chloe asked hesitantly

“She didn’t have to,” Whitney shrugged “that memory came back in full living Technicolor”

“Ouch” Chloe winced

“Yeah,” Whitney nodded “anyway, Mr. Kent, I was wondering if you guys could use a farmhand. I mean, I get it that Clark here can probably do the work of twenty guys by himself, but…” he trailed off and shrugged “I could _really_ use a job”

Martha and Jonathan glanced at each other, some kind of silent communication passing between them

“I…think we can work something out” Martha finally said

“It won’t pay much,” Jonathan warned “and the hours are long and hard”

“I was in the Marines, Mr. Kent,” Whitney reminded him “can’t be any worse than basic training or active combat”

Jonathan nodded slowly

“All right then,” he declared as he shook hands with Whitney “welcome to the farm”


	12. Epilouge

******

“Knock, knock”

Clark looked up from watching the sunset in the loft

“Chloe, hey” he grinned

“Hey,” she greeted “I hear your dad put Whitney to work right away, how’s he doing?”

“Not too bad,” Clark nodded “he seems to be really giving it his all”

“That’s good to hear,” Chloe nodded “you know, if you guys ever need an extra set of hands, I’m here” she offered

“You’re kidding right?” Clark snorted “you? Working on a farm?”

Chloe put her hands on her hips

“And what’s wrong with _that_?” she demanded

“Nothing,” Clark smiled “but aren’t you the girl who spends an hour complaining every time she has to walk her overdue library books back to the library?”

Chloe hit him in the arm as she snuggled up to him, turning to stare out at the sunset

"Did you talk to Lana?" Clark wondered

"She's not talking to me yet" Chloe explained

"You don't think she'll...?" Clark wondered

"...out you?" Chloe asked. She shook her head "no, she's upset that you kept a secret from her, but no, she'll keep your secret"

"That's good" Clark nodded

For a moment they were both quiet

“It’s a nice view” Chloe remarked quietly

“It is,” Clark agreed, holding her close “you really scared me last night,” he admitted “when Tina threw you across the room, I just wanted to hurt her”

“I know,” Chloe nodded “but, relax, Clark,” she smiled up at him “I’m not planning on going anywhere anytime soon,” she grinned “face it, Kent, you’re stuck with me” she declared

Clark chuckled as he placed a gentle kiss to the crown of her head

“I can live with that” he muttered. Things had changed over the past few days, he knew, Lana knew he had abilities, Whitney knew he was an alien, but through it all, he had had Chloe by his side, keeping him focused, grounded, keeping him sane if he was being totally honest. Over the past several years, she had gone from being the cool new girl, to his friend, his girlfriend, his secret keeper, and now his partner in every sense of the word, she would never be content to be 'just the girlfriend', no, Chloe would settle for nothing less than an equal partnership.

And he couldn't ask for anything better than that...

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! The end of "Vile Visage", the first part of "Forks in the Road". I want to thank everyone who left kudos and comments, your praise keeps me going :=). Stay tuned for the next part of the series :=)
> 
> \--AXEe :=)

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought :=)


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